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Technology Stocks : KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SemiBull who wrote (1737)	7/11/2003 10:08:57 PM
From: SemiBull	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1779

KLA-Tencor to take on Rudolph in metal metrology Mark LaPedus 07/11/2003 2:05 PM EST URL: siliconstrategies.com BOSTON -- KLA-Tencor Inc. is expected to enter the copper/ metal metrology market, by rolling out a new tool that will compete against the acknowledged leader in the business--Rudolph Technologies Inc., according to a new report from Fechtor, Detwiler & Co. Inc. here today (July 11). KLA-Tencor has not formally introduced the tool and the San Jose-based equipment giant has declined to comment on the product. The company was reportedly supposed to roll out the so-called ESX (Electron Stimulated X-Rays) tool at next week's Semicon West trade show in San Francisco, according to the Boston-based research firm. But now, KLA-Tencor will not announce the ESX until Semicon Japan later this year, according to the report. Still, the ESX has created a stir in the marketplace, and, at times, impacted the stock price of its main rival--Rudolph, based in Flanders, N.J., according to the report. One of the fears is that KLA-Tencor could make inroads in Rudolph's customer base, including Intel Corp., although most believe that the wafer-inspection giant has a long ways to go before it displaces the Flanders-based company, the report indicated. The report also leaked some technical details about the ESX, which is markedly different than a competitive tool from Rudolph. Rudolph's metrology system is based on acoustic technology. Its tool lists at $1.5 million and sells at little over $1 million in volumes. KLA-Tencor's ESX will perform both film thickness and chemical analysis for copper-enabled devices, based on an X-ray beam technology. The ESX's price point is $2 million, or 30 percent higher than Rudolph's tool. The first customer for the ESX is IBM Corp. The tool was developed based on IBM's specifications, the report said. Intel, TSMC, UMC and others are expected to procure the machine. The ESX is basically two metrology tools in one, as its supports metal film thickness and material characterization, the report said. "The ESX can distinguish between very thin layers of copper at 65-nm and 45-nm, which keeps it on the technology roadmap for a long time," according to the report. "The ESX is focused at the sample interface thereby exciting an electron in an orbital to another energy level," according to the report. "When the electron relaxes, it emits a photon. These photons are used to create an image of that area," it said. "In addition, the flux indicates the amount of material if the density is known. The chemical characteristic of the metal is determined from the scattered electrons coming back out. These have a different characteristic energy. This characteristic energy is how one material is chemically distinguished from another. This technique is perceived to have better longevity than existing technology," according to the report.